Striking clock



June 23, 1931. E, c HALL 1,811,791

STRIKING CLOCK Filed'Jul 9, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WITNESS% mm ATTORNEY E. c. HALL STRIKING CLOCK June 23, 1931.

4 Sheets$heet 2 Filed July 9, 1928 )2 Flu 00a [ff/a NOR ATTORNEY QMW June J23, 1931- E. c. HALL 1,811,791

STRIKING CLOCK Filed July 9, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 7W00d (ff/all ATTORNEY June 23, 1931. E. c. HALL 1,811,791

STRIKING CLOCK Filed July 9. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Elwood a /'/a 1/ ATTORNEY I first devised. By

Patented June 23, 1931 ELWOOD 0. BALL, or VIENNA, NEW JERSEY I STRIKING CLOCK Application filed July 9, 1928. Serial No. 291,320.

This invention relates to striking clocks. The principal object is to provide a better form of interrupter to govern the action of the striking train of wheelwork as determined y the movement of the time train; to make the mechanism less complex and a minimum burden on the time train. An end of this kind has been assiduously sought by clock makers since the striking mechanism was my invention the resetting of the hands will not interfere with the striking mechanism when the clock gains or loses time or after the clock runs down, or through failure to strike on any hour by clogged \vheelwork or bent control, wires. Another desirable feature is to render the assembly of the mechanism easier. Two types of control are provided to effect a progressive se-v quence of strikes for thesuccessive hours, one :zf which is a wheel in the striking train having a circumferential series of deep notches spaced at increasing-arcs to vary the strikes, from one to twelve, and the other a so-called snail of varying eccentricity fixed on the minute post of the time train which on release. of a wheel in the striking train governs the strikes in proportion to the eccentricity of the snail. I

My invention is applicable to both types of control, the wires associated with the several parts of the striking or timetrain being nearly the same. I will describe two types of interrupter either of which is mounted on the minute post of the time train by which the wire systems which regulate the striking are actuated. The wire systems are pivoted on a fixed axis or in the case of the grandfathers clock on two axes spaced apart'and arry separate stiflg' wires which terminate in hooks, stops or bent terminals to controlthe strikes. One of these interrupters-for differentiation-Icall the Gem and the other I call the Jewel. The several features of will be fully hereinafter described and will :onstruction of these and their associate wires be definitely defined as to their novel features in the appended claims. V In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention Figures 1 to 7 illustrate one form of my interrupter and associate wires.

' Figures 8 to 12 show its application to another type of striking control.

Figures 13 to 21 show modified form of '5 interrupter and its phases of control.

Referring now in detail to the several figures of drawings, and first with respect to Figures 1 to 7- 1 represents the minute post of the time train of a clock movement, 2 represents a small disc fixed on the post carrying a pivoted pawl 3 pressed by a helical spring 8 with a notched end bearing against a pin 3a, the I outer notch 35 releasably bearing against the wire 4 fastened to a shaft pivoted to the frame .of the time train. One end of the spring is secured to the pawl and the other end to the'head of a pin eccentrically mounted at right angles to the face of the disc. On 9 each hour the wire engages the notch in the pawl 3 and raises the four wires 4, 4a, 4b, 40. This movement lifts the end of wire 40 off a pin on a gear wheel 5 of the striking train and partly lifts the wire 4a'out of a deepnotch 6 5 in a wheel governing the number of strikes. As gear wheel 5'turns, wire 4b rides up the slope of a notch of wheel7 and is supported on the wheel periphery during which the wire 4a passes out of the deep notch 6 and will bear 0 on the short toothed base 6a, the wires being held in this position until the next deep notch is reached. The teeth are arranged in groups, the number of, teeth in the groups corresponding to the number of strokes in the hour, and 5 when the wire 4a drops into a deep notch 6, the wire 4bfalls into the notch of wheel 7 and the hook end of wire 40 falls in the path of a pin fixed in the face of the wheel 5 near the periphery and thus locks the striking train from further movement.-

During this phase of movementwire 4a, Figures 3 and 4, is raised out of the deep notch 6, and 4a has been raised to engagement with p the base of theteeth 6a, the pawl 3 has been re- 9 leased from the wire and retracted by spring 8. I have called this interrupter, to distinguish it fromthe other type, the Gem interrupter.

' The interrupter just described is applicable .shaped steps on not only to the form of notched wheel striking movement above described, but is applicable also to the so-called snail movement mounted on the minute post of the time train which is commonly used in the so-called grandfathefis clock, a type which is very reliable on account of its freedom from derangement by turning the hands back or letting the clock run down. This interrupter may be used also in the snail controlled type of movement. In this type, near the end of the hour as the minute hand approaches that point, pawl 3 is pressed out radially on the interrupter disc, as in Figure 9, lifting the pawl 11. pivoted in the clock-movement frame out of engagement with the segmental rack 12 mounted on a stiif wire 1s of the pivoted wire system 10 carrying the three wires 11, 1 1a, 1477). An associate wire system 15, 15a and 15?, carries a wire 15?) which lifts the pawl 11 permitting the wire system 141: to fall thereby disengaging the end of the wire 14a. from the stop pin on wheel 16 permitting the striking wheel train to run free under regulating action of its retarding vane.

ire 1 11) comes to rest on the snail 4, which is in a position determined by the hour and as each strike is made pin 17 on wheel 16 ena tooth of the rack 12 and advances it one notch at a time, thereby lifting the end of wire 1 11b intermittently until the wire 14a is brought to the plane of the pin on the rotating wheel 16 when the striking movement will step. In Figure 8 the apparatus of the time train is in a phase in which the hands are at five oclock. In Figure 9 a later phase of the time movement is shown in which the snail end of the periphery has been shifted to a point an hour later. In Figure 8 wire 1560 should be low enough till the plate 18 will pass over it in stop position. ire system 15 is always in stop position except when pushed up by the interrupter and it falls to stop position as soon the arm of the interrupter is released by the plate 18 acting on wire 15a; after the first strike of any hour it is in stop position, the plate 18 passing above wire 15a.

In Figure 9 wire 156 has been raised by pawl 3 lifting ratchet 11 and wire 15a. This raise will bring wire 15a in contact with plate 18 which will raise this system enough to release the arm of the interrupter and the system falls as soon as the plate 18 has passed wire 15a. Before the wheel has made of a revolution, wire system 15 falls to stop position. The fall of system 15 follows the fall of system 10 so quickly you cannot hear two falls--only alittle lengthening of one. The periphery of the snail is in the form of area spiral with its highest land corresponding to one stroke of the striking movement and successively approaching the center in twelve steps.

The pawl of the interrupter extends radi ally as indicated. in Figure 9 raising the wire 15b and releasing the pawl 11 of the ratchet 12 permitting the wire system to drop in contact with the snail. The wheel 16 is freed and the inclined plate 18 on wheel 16 engages wire 15a releasing pawl $3 permitting wire 15 to drop to the disc periphery and pawl 11 fall latching the rack.

In the phase of movement shown in Figure 10, the wire 15 has been released from the pawl 3 by the plate 18 on the now :lireely moving wheel 16, raising the wire 15 away from pawl 3. This permits the latter to collapse by force of its spring and wire system 15 falls to stop position, and L awl 11 falls latching the rack, as in Figure 11.

The retarded movement of the wheel 16 by the fan fly starts it to strike a ml at each turn of the wheel 16 the wire system 11) is raised by engagement of the pin 1'? with the toothed periphery of the segment 12 and this movement will continue until the wire is brought into a plane to engage the pin 21) on the wheel 16 when the striking train is arrested. During this movement the pin 17 has raised the rack and its associate wire 11?) in position for engagement with the snail at the end of the next hour which will have shifted increasing the drop of wire and increasing the next stroke by one. I have shown the rack as provided with sixteen teeth, four extra are for engaging the pawl. of the ratchet.

When the wheel 16 is freed the rack is raised one notch at a time lifting wires 11, 14b and lea at intervals with each strike until after a number of strikes, dependent on the position of the snail, the wire 1 1a comes in the path of the pin 20 arresting the mechanism and placing the rack in a position where the movement of the time train, at the approach of the next hour will bring the hook end of the wire 11?) in position on the snail which will cause the striking train mechanism to gather up the rack for the next phase of striking to give the proper number of strikes on the next hour.

In Figure 11 is shown a phase of movement in which the wire 15a is approaching the in clined plate 18 and when engaged thereby releases pawl 3 from wire 15 which allows the pawl 11 to engage the rack 12 and hold the latter against further movementuntil the pawl 11 is again disengaged therefrom.

In Figures 13 to 20 I show a moditied form of interrupter controlling the striking train. The specific interrupter construction is shown in Figures 18, 19 and 20. A fixed drum 17 is mounted fast on the minute post of the time train and a rotatable disc 18 turns on the shaft in contiguous relation. The disc is fixed to one end of the helical spring 21, the other end of which is secured to a pin on the post. The sprmg closes the two bringing undercuts on each in close relation, as shown in Figure 18 A pin 22 is secured eccentrically on the drum and traverses an arc-shaped slot 23 in the periphery of the disc. The drum is flattened adjacent its undercut at 24 and lies lightly below the rim of the disc, so that a wedged-shaped block 25 mounted on a pivoted Wire spans both the disc and drum (see Fig- As the minute hand of the minute post apg roaches the end of the hour, the disc is pushed so as to Widen the gap between it and the drum and when the strike period arrives, a notch in striking train wheel 26 permits the wire system to drop into the notch 27 carrying he Wedge to the bottom of the gap between the drum and the disc, thereby dropping wire 28 below the stop pin 28a and wire 28 falls in notch 33, this releases the wheel 29 and the Wire 28 raises its hook out of the dee otch 33 of the strike wheel 30. Notch 33 should be a little deeper than is now common as the distance between the bottom of this notch and the bottom of the short notches determines the sweep of stop wire 28.

The strike train then starts and the finger of the wire 28 is immediately raised, 28b traverses the cylindrical periphery of the wheel 26, wire 28' is raised to engagement with the periphery of the strike wheel 30 be lween the teeth 33a to limit the drop of the wire system, while the peripheral surface 26 holds the finger of wire 28 in the plane of the short teeth 33 during the strokes between consecutive deep notches on the strike train, thus preventing the wire 31 from falling between strikes, and holding the wire 28 above the pin 28a on the wheel 29, but when the strike teeth 33, have all been traversed the finger of wire 28 drops into a deep notch 33 bringng the stop wire 28 in alignment with the pin 28a and arresting the strike train. A similar action occurs at each hour.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An interrupter for a striking clock including an arbor and having a striking train and a minute post, a wheel having spaced notches associated with the striking train, teeth arranged on the wheel between the notches, a pin carried by one of the gears of the striking train, a second Wheel having a notch associated with the striking train, a releasing wire fixed to the arbor, a disk se- :ured to the minute post, a pivoted pawl on said disk to engage and actuate the releasing wire, tension means to return the pawl to its normal position when disengaged from the releasing wire, a second wire connected .0 the releasing wire to engage the periphery of the first wheel between the teeth and to drop into one of the notches thereof after the completion of a striking operation, a third wire secured to the first and second wires to engage the periphery and drop into the notch of the secondwheel, and a fourth wire secured to said wires to be engaged by the pin when the third wire drops into the notch of the second wheel to further prevent movement of the striking train.

2. An interrupter for a striking clock including an arbor and having a striking train and a minute post, a wheel having spaced notches associated with the striking train, teeth arranged on the wheel between the notches, a pin carried by one of the gears of the striking train, a second wheel having a notch associated with the striking train, a releasing wire fixed to the arbor, a disk secured to the minute post, a notched pawl eccentrically pivoted to the disk for engaging and actuating the means connected to the pawl to return the latter to its initial signature. ELWOOD HALL.

releasing wire, a tension position when disengaged b the releasin wire a second Wire connected 

